RUSSELLVILLE — The Bryant Junior Lady Hornets won their second consecutive meet championship of the[more] season at the Russellville Cyclone Invitational Saturday. Previously having won at the Bryant Invitational, the Bryant junior girls put on a clinic of how to win a cross country meet once again by having six of their top seven girls receive top 20 medals with five of those spots being in the top 11 places.
Bryant scored 31 points, easily out-distancing runner-up Lake Hamilton, which scored 62 points. Little Rock Christian was third with 97 points followed by Russellville (171), Cabot (180), Heber Springs (182), and West Side Greers Ferry (209). There were 15 teams and 250 individual finishers in the race.
Bryant was led by Caitlyn Bell, who finished fourth overall with a time of 13:40. Hannah Shelby was close behind in fifth place with a time of 13:41. Others receiving top 20 medals were Sarah Cowell (eighth, 13:56), Lindsey Butler (ninth, 13:58), Hadley Dickinson (11th, 14:01) and Lauren Ackley (14th, 14:06). Abby Ostrem narrowly missed out on a medal by finishing 22nd in 14:31.
“Our junior girls have just dominated the last two races,” noted Lady Hornets head coach Danny Westbrook. “In the middle of the race, you look up and see a large group of blue and white, up front, running hard and you know you have a solid chance at winning.
“I thought Caitlyn Bell ran really well today and eighth-grader Hannah Shelby had an awesome race,” he added. “Four of our top seven girls are seventh or eighth graders from our middle school. Coaches Deanna Porter and Rhonda Hall are doing a super job with those girls.”
The Bryant cross country teams will be back in action next Saturday at the Lake Hamilton Invitational at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs.
